Bid to plug music gap

News of the Wag and Bone’s closure has prompted entrepreneurs to start ventures they hope will fill the gap for Watford musicians. Mr Bob Best, of Kings Langley, is starting regular live music spots for local bands at the Rose and Crown pub in Kings Langley. Although the pub already plays host to top notch jazz and covers outfits, Mr Best reckons he can establish the venue as a must for local bands.

[August 2, 1996]

Yob caught on camera

A football fan was left hanging precariously from the roof of Vicarage Road Stadium’s North Stand last Thursday after a prank went dangerously wrong. However, all was not as it seemed. The youth was 19-year-old actor Kevin Knapman and the stunt formed part of a new short film for Channel 4. The plot of Bantams sees two young tearaways break into the stadium in order to see the match without paying.

[August 2, 1996]

Death on the main line

At least one person died and more than 100 were injured when a packed commuter train collided with an empty freight train travelling in the opposite direction near Watford Junction last night. The collision happened just south of Watford Junction near Radlett Road at 5.24pm. A full-scale emergency operation was mounted and Watford General Hospital was put on full emergency alert as 55 injured people were admitted. Eyewitness Mary Hefferman said: “There was an almighty crash and sparks flew everywhere. The crash and the noise was horrible.”

[August 9, 1996]

Dunkirk spirit

Praise has been heaped on the unsung heroes of the Watford train crash – the dozens of people who turned out on the night to offer help and support to emergency crews. When disaster struck the town reacted with bravery, professionalism and resilience in the face of adversity. Three inquiries have now been set up to sift through evidence, including black box recorders recovered from the wreckage of both trains. The selfless and quick-thinking reactions of local people and the emergency services demonstrated that this town can pull together when disaster arrives on our doorsteps.

[August 16, 1996]

New hospice building

The time came to replace the clock on the Peace Hospice this week, after readers of the Watford Observer provided the money for a replica version. The replacement of this icon of the Peace’s past is the first step in the most significant week of the Peace Hospice’s life so far, the move into the original Peace Memorial building office and fundraising gear will be moved into its new offices over the weekend and on Monday hospice patients will set foot in their new home for the first time.

[August 16, 1996]

Postmen strike

Postmen at Watford’s Ascot Road sorting office walked out on an unofficial strike on Wednesday causing a two-day backlog of post in the town. Following last Friday’s official strike action and the usual Bank Holiday Monday delay there was a huge backlog of mail. In order to clear it, management at the office asked workers to spend an extra hour sorting on Wednesday. But more than 100 postmen decided to walk out, with many picketing the front of the offices.

[August 30, 1996]

What was happening in the world in August 1996?

• The first three parent baby is conceived in New Jersey through mitochondrial donation (August 1)

• NASA announces that the Allan Hills 84001 meteorite, thought to originate from Mars, may contain evidence of primitive lifeforms (August 6)

• George R.R. Martin publishes the fantasy novel A Game of Thrones, the first in his series A Song of Ice and Fire (August 6)

• Boris Yeltsin is sworn in for a second term as President of Russia (August 9)

• Bob Dole is nominated for President of the United States at the Republican National Convention (August 15)

• After a three-year-old boy falls into the gorilla enclosure at Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, Binti Jua, a female gorilla, sits with the injured boy until his rescue (August 16)

• Former State President of South Africa, F.W. de Klerk, makes an official apology for crimes committed under Apartheid (August 21)

• The Prince and Princess of Wales are formally divorced at the High Court of Justice in London (August 28)

• US president Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore are re-nominated at the Democratic National Convention (August 29)